A data center is a facility designed to house computer equipment (servers, routers, etc.) The computer equipment is used to store data, receive data from other computers and send data to other computers located inside and outside of the facility. The data is transmitted through copper and fiber optic transmission lines. In order for the data center to have a high level of reliability, all aspects of the design of the data center are important.
The physical security includes protection for: (1) electrical, mechanical, and computer equipment, (2) the power distribution system, (3) the copper and fiber optic distribution system, and (4) pipes and ducts for the mechanical system.
The security system should provide protection from: (1) vandalism, (2) high winds, (3) earthquake, (4) storms, (5) water used for cooling or fire suppression, and (6) explosions emanating from inside or outside of the building.
The reliability of the design is enhanced by redundancy so that if there is an equipment failure, another piece of equipment will function without delay to replace it. The reliability of the data center is also improved by the compartmentalization of the design so that if there is an equipment failure, the impact of the failure is limited in scope. Reliability is also improved by having a design which makes a fast recovery possible, such as a design which makes the quick and easy replacement of the equipment (or a part within the equipment) possible.
The reliability of the design is also enhanced by having a design which attempts to eliminate a shut down because of a single point of failure. However, if there is a single point of failure, it is important that the component causing the failure is (1) very unlikely to fail, (2) the component can be replaced quickly if it does fail, and (3) the impact of such a failure is limited.